1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for sonar sensor arrays. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method of signal distribution for a sonar sensor array.
2. Related Art
Sonar systems are used on a variety of platforms including submarines, surface ships, sonobuoys, ground vehicles, aircraft, and shore stations. Sonar arrays use a large number of hydrophones to provide improved sensitivity and directional resolution. Sophisticated sonar arrays may include hundreds of individual hydrophones. These hydrophones are placed in the water and attached or towed behind the platform. Typically, a vast array of cables and connectors are used to electrically connect the hydrophones to the platform employing the sonar. For example, a separate cable from each hydrophone to the sonar equipment is often included to allow the individual signals from each hydrophone to be processed by the sonar equipment for electronic beam forming or source direction estimation.
A large sonar array having hundreds of sensors may include thousands of connectors and millions of feet of cable. In submarine applications, the array may be mounted on the submarine hull and use hundreds of hull penetrators. Failures in the water tightness of these components can adversely affect the reliability of the sonar array and even threaten the integrity of the submarine. Interconnection complexity not only results in high costs for acquisition and installation of a sonar array, but adds ongoing costs for maintenance of the system. For very large sonar arrays, for example having thousands of hydrophones, the interconnection complexity and cost is an obstacle to deploying such large arrays.